Just when it seemed that Niclas Fullkrug was gaining some momentum in a West Ham shirt, the curse struck.
West Ham’s forwards are simply not allowed to progress.
The Hammers’ litany of modern transfer failures has meant they are still reliant on Michail Antonio in 2024/25. with star right winger Jarrod Bowen as a contingency plan. Fullkrug, 31, was the next man to be identified as a goalscorer this summer, but a knee injury means he could potentially it won’t be for the next three months after five starts and several goals.
With Antonio out indefinitely and Bowen sidelined with a broken foot, new head coach Graham Potter is out of options.
whether West Ham deciding on a short-term or long-term fix this month is irrelevant. Potter needs a striker now. Here are four potential options in the January transfer window.
Having entered the final six months of his contract with Lille, Jonathan David, no stranger to the transfer rumor mill, will be linked with any club in need of strikers.
West Ham certainly fit that bill, with the Canadian international the highest-profile candidate to potentially enter the poisoned chalice in East London.
David has been a reliable goalscorer in France for years, and his numbers have skyrocketed since the 2022/23 season. The striker has scored 54 times in his previous 88 appearances in Ligue 1. Some of David’s strikes have come from the penalty spot, but there is no denying the Canadian’s ability as a clinical poacher and versatile attacker.
West Ham could be the winner of David’s premiership, and the player’s contract situation means the Premier League club would not have to spend top dollar to bring him to the London Stadium.
If Potter wants to get an attacker who is familiar with Premier Leaguemaybe Evan Ferguson is the way to go.
The new West Ham boss oversaw Ferguson’s arrival at Brighton, affording the then-teenage forward his Premier League debut in February 2022. However, the Irishman’s breakthrough came under Roberto De Zerbi.
However, Ferguson is undoubtedly a player that Potter values and the striker’s profile would be ideal for this West Ham squad. He is an imposing presence capable of holding up the ball and running the channels, but his Brighton career has stalled.
Since the appointment of Fabian Hurzeler, he has barely made an appearance, with the young German coach generally preferring Joao Pedro or Georginio Rutter up top in Danny Welbeck’s enforced absence. As a result, Brighton he may be willing to let Ferguson go on loan this month, and he would be a great short-term solution for the Irons.
Premier League clubs have had a lot of success in buying the Championship in recent times, and Morgan Rogers is the latest talent from the second division to shine in the first division.
West Ham have been dipping their toes into lucrative markets of late, but they may be better off heading back to their humble Championship roots this month.
Latte Lath came into his own in the second half of last season and scored eight times in Middlesbrough’s last six league games. That form continued in the 2024/25 season. with the 26-year-old hitting ten goals this term, proving that his hot streak that closed the 2023/24 season it was not a coincidence.
His experience in 2024 has led to interest from the likes of Leeds, while Atlanta United have made a bid of just under £20m. Would West Ham be willing to pay more than that for the Championship striker?
There have been rumors of a row with Sean Dyche, so Calvert-Lewin could see the return of David Moyes to restart his Everton career.
The target man has scored twice in the Premier League this season.
At his best, DCL is the perfect Potter striker. He functions as an effective focal point who is also capable of stretching defenses by running in behind and hunting inside the penalty area.
However, the utopian iteration of the 27-year-old striker has barely manifested itself since Carlo Ancelotti was in town, and Everton started the 2020/21 season. started out as the funnest team in the division (which lasted a month).
In many ways, Calvert-Lewin is very West Ham. Injury-prone and inconsistent, he would be oddly ideal to continue the Hammers’ striker curse.
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